Weird AHCI / RAID problem with SSD

Participant · 28 Dec 2013 at 20:15

Hi all

In a nutshell, my problem is that my BIOS has the Intel controller set to RAID as I'm running two HDDs in RAID0, but my Samsung 840 SSD is not running in AHCI. I understood that RAID would enable AHCI on the controller where possible.

My mobo is a Gigabyte P35C-DS3R with the latest F12 BIOS. It uses the Intel ICH9R southbridge, which definitely supports AHCI. I see a message saying "AHCI BIOS not installed" when I boot up, which I'm assuming is the reason for my whole problem.

Samsung Magician won't recognise my 840 as being in AHCI mode, nor will it recognise the SATA interface...

...yet Intel RST states that I'm using NCQ:

How can this be, when I understood NCQ to be an inherent part of AHCI? If both are correct and AHCI is not working but NCQ is, then do I really care if AHCI isn't running?

My AS SSD benchmarks seem all right for a SATAII controller:

So maybe it doesn't really matter? But I have no AHCI controllers referenced in my Windows device manager, and it's slightly bugging me that I could be running in AHCI but aren't.

Maybe there's a problem with this particular chipset running RAID and AHCI at the same time on the same controller? Should I just try the SSD on the Gigabyte controller and see if AHCI works?

Thanks.

wazza300 · 28 Dec 2013 at 20:28

raid contains ahci drivers as far as im aware

so you'll have trim enabled ect aslong as its not part of the array,

Participant · 28 Dec 2013 at 20:39

wazza300 said:
raid contains ahci drivers as far as im aware

OK, therefore AHCI should be working, but AHCI isn't enabled on my machine

.

wazza300 said:
so you'll have trim enabled ect aslong as its not part of the array,

It's definitely not part of the array, but how do I tell if TRIM's enabled?

Thanks for the reply.

troops · 28 Dec 2013 at 20:39

http://www.mediafire.com/download/dn68wm98tmp9ud9/ga-p35c-ds3r_f12_MOD_4_4_12.rar

Has option Rom 8.5.0.1030 for raid controller if that's any help.

wazza300 · 28 Dec 2013 at 20:43

yh might need the bios modding with latest oprom

sorry I don't know much on raid

ssdlife will tell you if trims enabled or not if it is you can pretty much say your in ahci aswell

Participant · 29 Dec 2013 at 14:56

troops said:
http://www.mediafire.com/download/dn68wm98tmp9ud9/ga-p35c-ds3r_f12_MOD_4_4_12.rar

Has option Rom 8.5.0.1030 for raid controller if that's any help.

Cheers but it doesn't say if it's for a rev.1 board or not, as far as I can see.

wazza300 said:
yh might need the bios modding with latest oprom

sorry I don't know much on raid

ssdlife will tell you if trims enabled or not if it is you can pretty much say your in ahci aswell

Thanks. SSDLife is telling me that TRIM is enabled. Maybe AHCI is enabled and both Samsung Magician and the OPROM are wrong?!

In two minds now as to whether to reinstall the OS in RAID mode with no other drives connected and see what that does. The thing still bugging me is that I've got no AHCI devices referenced in device manager, only ATA and RAID controllers:

(Ignore the yellow '!'s, they've only just appeared and are nothing to do with the problem).

wazza300 · 29 Dec 2013 at 16:45

idk much on raid but raid does contail ahci drivers so you should be in ahci mode

can only put it down to software bug as its not saying ahci,trim wouldn't be enabled if you were in ide mode